Unraveling the Mindset of Victimhood

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June 29, 2020

Dear Reader, Most people tend to overcome socially ambiguous situations with relative ease—regulating their emotions and acknowledging that social ambiguity is an unavoidable part of social life. But some people tend to see themselves as perpetual victims. In our lead story, columnist Scott Barry Kaufman digs deep into the main characteristics of the perpetual victimhood mindset. For example, one trait of victimhood is lack of empathy for the pain and suffering of others, which happens to be part of our next story. A small but loud segment of Americans have adamantly refused to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic. Without a mask, a person is willfully endangering the people around them. An op-ed by Emily Willingham explores what is driving resistance to this important public health initiative. And lastly, some good news: an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that has been raging since 2018 has officially ended.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Behavior & Society Unraveling the Mindset of Victimhood Focusing on grievances can be debilitating; social science points to a better way By Scott Barry Kaufman

Behavior & Society The Condoms of the Face: Why Some Men Refuse to Wear Masks It's not the first time masculine ideology has driven resistance to a public health initiative By Emily Willingham

Evolution The Meaning of Time in the Place where Humanity's Earliest Ancestors Arose In Kenya's Lake Turkana region, fossils of long-ago primates endure amid a transforming landscape By Eliot Bush

Public Health Misplaced Analogies: COVID-19 Is More like a Wildfire Than a Wave Epidemiologist Sarah Cobey describes the massive epidemic as burning through the population By Marla Broadfoot

Public Health World's Second-Deadliest Ebola Outbreak Ends in Democratic Republic of the Congo The epidemic killed more than 2,000 people—but involved the first widespread use of a vaccine against the virus By Amy Maxmen,Nature magazine

Policy & Ethics California Passes Historic Clean Truck Rule The state aims to replace diesel trucks, which contribute to greenhouse gases and smog, with electric vehicles By Maxine Joselow,E&E News

Policy & Ethics Rolling Back Environmental Protections under Cover of the Pandemic Nations around the world are gutting regulations—which could lead to more outbreaks By Rachel Golden Kroner

Wellness How Nature Helps Body and Soul Journalist and author Florence Williams talks about her book The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative. By Steve Mirsky | 29:52

Public Health Hospitals Experiment with COVID-19 Treatments, Balancing Hope and Evidence With little data on what works and what doesn't, doctors trade tips and argue about risks By Monique Brouillette

Arts & Culture North of the Drunken Forest Science in meter and verse By Jessica Goodfellow

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QUOTE OF THE DAY "Truth is, we currently live in a culture where many political and cultural groups and individuals emphasize their victimhood identity and compete in the 'Victimhood Olympics.'" Scott Barry Kaufman, humanistic psychologist and author

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